The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1887-05-19
ATTACKING THE FORESTS.
The Hills aud Wales of Northeast Penn
sylvania DenuIsd of their Timber.

sylvania Denudsd of their Timber.
A half century's inccssant onslaught 0y
sawmillS and tanneries on the once denso
forests of pine and hemlock in the cOun-
ties of nc rthweStern Pennsylvania AMI tho
adjoining counties of New York state has
at last virtually exhausted them. Out of
$50 immense tanneries in operation fifteen
years ago there is not BARK enough left to
keep more than half dozen in operation
to-day, and not more than one OF thC&e can
be run over three years longer.
Besides the pine and hcmloct forests
that once stood i'll this region, there were
hundreds of Thousands Of acres Of hard
w0od--inaplc, beech, Oak and Chestnut.
OF these the oak and chestnut have Sic
cumbed to the demand for railroad ties
and telegraph poles, to say Eothing of the
thousands of acres Of finest specimens ct
their kind that We're sacrificed for cord
wood before the railroads ard the people
adopted coal as the IrpiycI SAT fuel. Until
recently it ;ycciced fiat thcEt splendid tsTovs,
of maple and the Other hard woods were to
be spared the systematic and unsparin%
onslaught that had swept the hclUloCk,
pine oak and chestnut away, IN" there Is
no longer hope of that. IL l. tTnc hat
every year more or less maple, birch,
beech aud Eastwood were Cut and shipped
to markets where thcrc Vas a ,!cta@H! for
them for various purposes, bat now the
war against theEl has been carried into
the forest.
In oil parts Of the re".i0n extensive c.
Establishments for the m@nJl(actinC Of nm
brella sticks, Clothes pins ami similar
articles for which the timber j. especially
adapted, have Eccn crcctul at points I1o3t
convenient to the woods desired. There
arc probably now in operation fifty Of
these establishments, all with improved
machinery fer T!OGc rapidly reducing the
timber to the forms desired. One Of these
factories, Where umbrella stiCk; arc the
speciality, bet where everything is mad'
into whic!. the material not available IU.l
the speciality can TIC turned, IS a sample Ct
the whole. 1t is in Pike county, few
miles from This village. It requires The
constant work Of twenty-five men and
fourteen teams to cut and hail maple logs
to keep it running. This i not TIE most
extensive factory in the region, either.
Only the best maple wool i; used. =. One
lumber operator has just closed a contract
with factory to get out 1850, coo feet CT
choice maple plank fer use is fast as he
can furnish tt.
= This attack Oh the remaining forests OF
the rcsien will depude its hills i'll q few
years. The removal of the pine and hcrl-
lock has seriously affected the water
courses of the counties named, rs the dis
appearance entirely Of streams Of consider
able size, and the extraordinarily dilnin-
ishing Of larger ones amply testify. The
Delaware river was lower last fall than
ever in IFS history, while the sudden and
damaging floods that fellow storms, which
IN former years would scarcely make O.
rafting frcshet, indicate what the Dc
struction of the forests has induced.
When the hard good groves are gOnc the
result to the water supply, according to
Competent opinion, will be serious prob
;cm that will confront the inhabitants Of
the region. Cor New York Sun.